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How can you not continue to love Ish Smith ($7,500)? We talked about his usage rate this month which is in the top 10 in the league, so let’s talk about his fantasy production on a per minute basis. In the 12 games since coming back to the Sixers, he is averaging 1.16 DraftKings point per minute. That number is better than the season average for Carmelo Anthony. If you look at his last seven games, he’s posted a 1.22 rate which would be higher than the season average of Paul George, Damian Lillard, Kyle Lowry and Hassan Whiteside to name a few. What I am trying to illustrate is how elite he has been this month while he price is still sub $8K. He’s taken 21 shot attempts over his last five games while dishing out nearly nine assists per contest. Now he gets a banged up Magic team that has struggled against guards all season.
Don’t overlook Reggie Jackson ($7,200) tonight. He’s cooled off a bit since winning NBA Player of the Week twice in the month of December. Despite that, he’s still hovering right around 5x value over his last five games and finds a matchup with the Rockets, which could be exactly what the doctor ordered. Reggie dropped a massive 31-8-5 line on the Rockets in their only meeting this season, resulting in 53.8 DraftKings points.
Speaking of big time games, Jimmy Butler ($8,400) is no stranger to big games. Let’s take a look at Butler’s last ten outings in terms of DraftKings points: 34.75, 23.25, 81, 50, 40, 43, 44.75, 53, 58, 41. That’s about as good as it gets. We will cut him some slack on the 23.25 point game which was the second night of a back to back and he never really got his shot going. Tonight he gets a matchup with the defending champs (GSW) who he dropped 56.3 DraftKings points on in their only meeting this season. A hot player in a matchup he’s already expoited this season makes for a very compelling DFS option.
Just when we thought Rudy Gay ($6,800) has hit rock bottom, he starts pulling himself off the mat. I believe this is the lowest salary on Gay all season long despite cracking 41+ DraftKings points in three of his last six games. He’s playing with energy, which can be suspect for Gay at times, which is creating nearly double digit rebounds every night. He’s now walking into the favorable matchup with the Lakers in one of the highest totals on the slate. This is a chance to buy low on a GPP candidate with plenty of upside.
I certainly have no guarantee of his minutes but Aaron Gordon ($4,200) has been plenty productive when he sees extended run this season. He’s averaging over one DK PPM over his last five games which has resulted in him cracking 22 DK points in three of those games. The Magic are banged up right now so their rotations are a bit off. It’s not reasonable to think Gordon will continue to threaten 25 minutes, especially tonight against the Sixers. I would prefer a more official word of his playing time moving forward, but Gordon is someone you should keep an eye on every night.
What’s not to love about a well-rested Demarcus Cousins ($10,600) in an ideal matchup? Boogie and the Kings haven’t played since Saturday so they should be ready to roll for their second straight game at the Staples Center. Tonight it’s the Lakers who are just miserable in the paint. Not that it particularly matters as Boogie is matchup proof and is averaging 50.9 DraftKings points in his two meetings with the Lakers this season. He’s been even better in his last seven games, averaging 58.6 DK points in that span.
Rudy Gobert ($6,400) has been one of the most consistent players in the league during his time on the court this season. He’s been a cash game staple of mine for that exact reason. However, something has happened in the last two games for Rudy. He’s dropped 51.5 and 43 DraftKings points in his last two, significantly higher than his 30.8 season average. Of course, his last game was aided by double OT, but that’s still 1.15 DK points per minute which is an excellent rate. He’s going to be a massive fantasy producer if he continues to show his scoring touch, with 32 points over the last two games. He’s already an elite rebounder and shot blocker so if he can add a third dimension, we are in for a show.
That’s all folks! Be sure to follow me on Twitter for more player analysis as news and injuries break closer to tip-off! Commentary based on DraftKings strategy and scoring.